Aqua Dots' toxic glue

This is all over the news. Commentators are criticizing the Chinese, the toy companies and government oversight (the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Nancy Nord, may lose her job). I'm extremely grateful that my kids are old enough that they rarely put toys in their mouths - I'd be really worried if I had a 2 year old.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2208143,00.html

Friday November 9, 2007
The Guardian
Chinese-made toy beads recalled after children fall ill
Chemical similar to liquid ecstasy blamed for comas
Panic spreads to North America from Australia

A scare over a popular toy made in China that was found to contain a chemical similar to the recreational drug liquid ecstasy has spread around the world, with millions of the toys being recalled in Australia and North America.

The alert began in Australia and New Zealand where six children fell ill, some of them going into a deep coma, after swallowing small beads that make up the toy.
[. . .]
The scare is the latest blow to the industry in the commercial run-up to Christmas and damages further the reputation of Chinese goods, which account for more than 60% of global toy sales. This year the giant Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys made in China from its global outlets after concerns were raised about detachable parts and lead paint which can cause brain damage in children.

The image of the "made in China" label has been particularly battered in the US, where there have been a record-breaking 472 recalls this year, particularly of toys, pet food and tires.

Recent surveys of American parents suggest that a third have decided to avoid all Chinese-made goods as they plan their Christmas shopping.

On Wednesday US authorities announced a separate recall of more than 400,000 children's products, mainly toys sold at dollar stores, with dangerous levels of lead.

Aqua Dots kits are made up of small beads that can be stuck together to make shapes and designs once they are sprayed with water. It has proved to be wildly popular - it was voted 2007 Australian Toy of the Year.

The normal product is coated with a harmless glue made from a chemical, 1,5-pentanediol. In the faulty batches the glue was replaced by 1,4-butanediol, a chemical which when taken into the body breaks down into a poison similar in composition to liquid ecstasy, or gamma hydroxy butyrate. The drug, which is also known as GBH or fantasy, is a well-known dance drug, inducing a degree of sedation, and has been linked to cases of date rape.

It remained unclear last night whether the chemicals were intentionally or mistakenly swapped. Both chemicals are widely used in factories in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province where the beads are thought to have been made before being distributed by the Australian-based firm Moose Enterprise.

The company says it will resupply the product coated with an ingredient that is bitter to the tongue to dissuade children from swallowing the beads.

The Chinese government has attempted to assuage rising fears about the quality of Chinese products by stepping up factory inspections and investing in training on international safety standards. But with the demand for cheap goods continuing to boom, and China's exports growing at an astonishing 28% a year, the country is likely to continue to find it difficult to meet safety standards set in the United States and other highly industrialised nations.